I remember watching the movie Vision Quest when I was in high school. Have you seen it? I think it's memorable for only four reasons.
1. It was the first time that anyone heard the Journey song “Only the Young” which was a pretty good song.
2. It was the first time I ever saw Linda Fiorentino who is pretty damn hot in a weird way.
3. Madonna was in it before she was huge, and…
4. It gave us this quote: "but all I ever settled for is that we're born to live and then to die, and we've gotta' do it alone, each in his own way. And, I guess, that's why we oughta' love those people who deserve it like there's no tomorrow. 'Cuz, when you get right down to it... there isn't."
That quote took on new meaning to me tonight. I ordered food from a Peruvian place around the corner, yeah I have jumped on the bandwagon, and while I was waiting, I walked two doors down to have a cocktail at one of my local watering holes. When I walked in, one of the regulars asked me if I had heard about Butch. I hadn’t so he told me that Butch died of a heart attack last week. Now at first I wasn’t sure if we were talking about the same guy. I mean, I was in here a week ago when he was getting ready to head to Fiji with 6 guys for vacation. Well it was Butch. He made it to Fiji. He died of a heart attack on the beach while he was there. They tell me he was laughing and joking right up to the time he died. He was laughing one minute and fell face down in the sand the next.
Well this was a big shock to me. He always seemed pretty healthy. I had only known him for about a year or so, but he always treated me with respect when I came into the bar. He was one of the few people I really liked in that place, so I was taken a little back by the news of his death. I really didn’t know how to react. I know this, I feel bad for Connie, who is his girlfriend and owns the bar. She was in the bar tonight and I could tell this was devastating for her. There really is no tomorrow.
I am always strangely affected by sudden death. The first person I knew who died was the girl I asked to my prom. I found out she died years later in a car accident and I remember it destroyed me. I grieved for weeks and I barely knew her. Another girl I knew in the Navy was killed after we got out by a drunk driver and I cried for hours. We were friends and hearing of her death still bothers me today.
Now Butch and I did not have that kind of relationship, but I still felt a profound affect when I got the news of his death. I went to the far end of the bar and sat by myself and wondered about life…well actually about death to be accurate. It all seems to end so quickly. It really puts your day to day troubles into perspective. Any troubles and alive have got to be better than no troubles and dead…right?
This sort of thing always bothers me and makes me feel that I should stop belly aching about my life. At least I have a life…a pretty damn good one at that. It also makes me think I don’t spend enough time in the gym.
My prayers are with you Connie and everyone else who knew and loved Butch. Memorial services on the 30th.
1 comment:
Hey,
Sorry to hear about Butch. I don't lurk here but stumbled upon your blog in search of Louden Swain.
Vision Quest has had a different meaning for me. I actually never got that final quote until now.
Thanks for that.
C.
http://www.visionquester.blogspot.com
http://www.visionquester2.blogspot.com
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